A Story Like Many Before

Lily Icerem

Chapter One: Faking it

(Posted: 28/12/12)(Edited: 26/04/14)

A/N:I know that there's just so many of these fics, but I haven't seen too many recently. I think this site needs another cliché, classic and semi-predictable Alex-goes-back-to-hell fic! I've been trying to find another one, but obviously… nope. So, I will now try my hand at my favourite kind of Alex Rider fanfiction! I will have to warn you all now. This will be very much like the other ones we've all read, just with my little take to it. So if you hate clichés, then turn back and don't read on, because my aim is to create another one of those fics where you go, "Here we go again." I don't know about you, but I spent most of my time looking for these at first. So here go.

NOT EDITED! My Beta is somewhere… I don't really know, school's off and I haven't seen her online for at least a week… so… yeah… anyone willing to help?

Genre:Humour/Friendship… um, I switch genres a lot… so, just ignore that, but there is humour in it… in different places.

Warnings!Um, nothing really. Maybe just occasional swearing in the A/Ns, but probably not in the story. Humour starts later in the story…

Disclaimer: I don't know Alex Rider… although sometimes I wish I do…

Enjoy!

"Is this really what you want?"

"When did you start considering about what I wanted, Mrs Jones?"

The head of the MI6 stared at the boy before her, "We allowed you to go to America for a reason, Alex. We thought that's what you wanted."

"You mean you sentme to America. You know just as well as I do, that it would never have worked in the long run." Mrs Jones had started to retort him, but Alex cut her short, "This is your fault. This is what you created, and now it's time for you to face the consequences." He knew that he was being a little harsh on the woman. Blunt had a lot more to do with his missions than she did, but Alex had to get his point across.

Mrs Jones took in a deep breath. She had a feeling that one day that it would have come to that. They had been fooling around with his life for too long. It was their fault that the boy's life was like the way it was. He was right. It was their responsibility. "Then what do you need?"

"Extra training, lessons, full briefings, backup when I need it," Alex listed casually, "basically, everything that I should have gotten."

She sighed, "Alright, Alex. Although, what do you think about having a partner?" She knew it was something he mightn't have agreed to, the boy had partners before, none of which he could have fully trusted.

Understandably, Alex was thinking the same thing. A partner could be handy at times, but he hadn't really had any good, reliable partners, except maybe one, but it didn't really count. "Is this a condition?"

"Not so much as a condition, but it will make it easier to convince people," she answered. Mrs Jones knew fully well that the Prime Minister wouldn't have been completely happy about her decision, but she hoped that the promise of a partner would help convince him. It was a risky plan, but the success rate was higher than months before. The MI6 had needed new people, or more people in Alex's case.

He thought for a moment, "Just make sure they're not incompetent." Without being dismissed, Alex stood up, "I'm going home now. I suspect that you've kept it in order?"

"Alex, you can't stay there by yourself, you're not old-" Mrs Jones started.

"Well, I'm sure you can sort that out," he snapped coldly. "For now, I'm going back."

Sighing once again, she nodded. It seemed that he had full control of the situation. When had the tables turned? "Do you want a car to take you?"

"No, I'll be fine by myself," and with that, Alex turned swiftly out of the room, leaving Mrs Jones dwelling on what she could have done to prevent what had happened from, well… happening. The boy that she had once known was no more. What was left was just a shell of what he used to be. He was cold, calculating and strangely manipulative. It was like he could control the situation without you knowing. You would think that you still had it within your grasp, but when you realise that it was never in your hand, it was too late, for he was always the one who was ahead. He had become the spy that they had hoped for him to be, but Mrs Jones could not bring herself to enjoy the fact.

Unknown to the head of MI6, was the fact that what she was thinking was wrong. Not completely wrong, but not completely right.

xxxXxxx

Alex stepped out of the elevator, ignoring the funny glances he received from the people. He rolled his eyes, he thought that he had been to the Royal and General enough for them to be used to his appearances, but judging from their ever questioning expressions, he was wrong. Exiting swiftly via the front doors, he spared no glance at the patch of copper brown of the pavement.

Once he was out of the vicinity of the bank, he smiled.

The thought they were so smart. They thought that just because the events that had occurred in his life, that he was broken. No, Alex Rider would not be twisted that easily. Luckily after everything they had put him through he had picked up tricks of his own. Acting and lying hadn't been something that Alex had liked to do in the past, but taking in how much they had lied to him in previous situations. One or two lies were never going to match their untruthful occasions. Besides, he wasn't exactlylying. In fact, Alex hadn't lied at all. He hadn't needed to. All he had to do was act a little cold, answer things bluntly and keep his usual polite etiquette out of the way and he got what he wanted.

After every lie they had told him, it was time that they had a taste of their own medicine.

He had given up on a normal life. He tried it in America, but things didn't out as he had previously wanted. The option of going back to a normal life had been given to him, but upon arriving in America, Alex had soon realised that it was impossible for him to go back again. He couldn't just act like he was a normal teenager. No teen would ever know what he knew. They could never get why he thought like he did, and Alex didn't expect them to.

He tried to fit in, but it didn't seem to work no matter how hard he tried. After a few unavoidable events and some consideration, Alex went back to England, saying goodbye to the Pleasures. Asking for what he did was something that Alex knew he had to ask carefully about. He couldn't let himself be controlled like he had. In that case, Alex had to protect himself. He had no one, and it was far too easy to lose, as little as it was, what he had.

xxxXxxx

"Ben! Hurry up"

"Alright already," cried Ben, hurrying down the stairs of the Rider house. He had been living there since they began partnering. Apparently, he's apartment was inconveniently unavailable (blown up) due to a prank gone wrong. "My god, have you ever heard that patience is a virtue?"

"Only up to a certain extent, after that, it just becomes a waste of time," smirked Alex. He was standing at Ben's car, looking lazily at the man as he struggled with their luggage.

"You know, instead of just standing there, looking smug, you could actually help?" snapped Ben, almost dropping Alex's bag. "What the hell did you put in there, anyway?"

"Just stuff," he shrugged. "You seem to be doing fine. Anyway, treat it as exercise, your muscles seem to be disappearing, Ben."

"I'm hurt, Alex, didn't you remember why we were going back for training in the first place?"

"I do remember, as a matter of fact," Alex leaned back on the side of the car, "and it's exactly why I'm not helping."

"But I'm injured!"

"Not that injured, you said so yourself. You said that you didn't really need to recuperate. It was Mrs Jones that said we had to go. She wanted to get rid of me, and you gave her the excuse."

"Right," Ben huffed, dropping Alex's heavy bag down at the boy's feet. "You can at least put it in the car yourself."

Rolling his eyes, Alex unzipped his bag, drawing out a hefty looking rock. He dropped it onto the nature strip, denting the ground below it.

"What the hell?" exclaimed Ben.

The teen shrugged almost innocently, "As I said, I thought you needed the exercise. It wasn't my fault you had to go and get punched in the shoulder."

"Hey, who did I get shot in the shoulder for?

"Me, and I entirely grateful for it, I assure you, but that doesn't mean it's my fault. You shouldn't be going on missions if you haven't recovered yet," said Alex knowingly.

"Wait, I'm not the only one with a bullet wound," Ben tilted his head to look down on Alex.

"Yeah, but I'm more careful about it. Also, this just brings us back to my point; it's all your fault."

"Just… get in the car," breathed Ben.

Alex laughed at the man and bent down to zip up his bag. Hell wasn't something that he was particularly fond of, but a least he wouldn't be going alone. Hopping into Ben's car he thought, like many times before, that it was lucky he had decided on taking a partner.

xxxXxxx

A/N:I seriously didn't think I was going to start another AR fic… but I did and then I started to listen to the same tracks that I did when I was writing Attempts at a New Lifeand I'm starting to feel that same feeling I did before… I moved houses so I sort of lost my writing spot… yeah, it helped to have a spot where I liked to write, but with that gone… it's actually quite hard…

So anyway, sorry for any mistakes I might have made… I don't know where my Beta has gone, so I'm sorta lost right now… Again, anyone willing to help out?

Any suggestions on what's going to happen are very welcome. I'm on a mission to re-create a feeling I first had when I first started reading fanfiction, so anything that people feel they remembered the most will only make this story better… or so that's what I think.

Please review!

This is me, being me

~Lily Icerem~